wa
wa is an obscure particle used as an interjection to express awe or amazement.
| Pronunciation | /wa/ |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Obscure4, Rare6 (17% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't use this word.2022: Rare (13%)
|
| Book and era | nimi ku lili (post-pu) |
| Part of speech | Content word |
Etymology
The word wa was coined by jan Lakuse's Cantonese-speaking grandmother and repeated by them in 2020 in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server.[1][2] It is supposedly derived from Cantonese 嘩 / 哗 (Jyutping: waa3).
Definitions
The word wa is used to express awe, amazement, or surprise. It is analogous to English "wow", "whoa", and similar interjections. Equivalent phrases in Toki Pona include a, wawa a ("impressive"), and pona a ("great").
ku
For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as wa:[3]
whoa2, wow1
sitelen pona
The sitelen pona glyph for wa (wa) is derived from the puncuation stem radical—inspired by other similar glpyhs for interjections such as a, kin, n, and o—with the dot replaced by the Latin letter W. The W is often written round rather than angular, similar to the glyph for wile (wile).
References
- ↑ jan Lakuse [@raacz106]. (4 August 2020). [Message posted in the
#tomo-toki-pini-antechannel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. Retrieved 9 December 2023. - ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 24. "wa: mama mama pi jan Lakuse"
- ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 282.
Further reading
- "wa" on lipu Linku